Five New Beauty Loves

byJen DeCurtinsonJuly 16, 2012

From time to time I like to mix things up and stray from the standard format. I rarely blog about beauty-related topics but sometimes I have things to share. Personally, I love receiving recommendations for beauty-related products via word of mouth so here are five of my new beauty loves. I haven’t done one of these posts since February so this should be fun!

Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother – I used this while I was visiting my parents at the beach. You apply it post-shower and it helps smooth the hair and protect against humidity. Given that I didn’t use a blow drier once and embraced my natural curls, this product was a life saver!

Schick Xtreme3 Sensitive – I just picked up these razors and they are my new favorite. They provide a close shave and don’t leave me irritated. I don’t have to go over any areas twice and they’re easy to hold and handle.

Neosporin – while we’re on the topic of shaving, one of my estheticians recommended Neosporin for post bikini wax to reduce irritation and the chance for ingrowns and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s a summer beauty staple for me now. Try it!

Laura Mercier Face Polish – in my last beauty post I mentioned that I had switched from Bobbi Brown to Laura Mercier. I love that my Laura Mercier reps always send me home with samples, one of which was this amazing exfoliator. I quickly returned to buy a full tube and use it several times a week now. I swear that it’s helped with clogged pores and to give me a little more of a glow.

Calvin Klein Forbidden Euphoria Rollerball – I spent quite a while in Ulta recently sampling new perfumes. I wanted a rollerball because I can never commit to using a whole bottle of a fragrance. It’s also perfect for throwing in my gym bag. Note, I have the “Forbidden” version of this fragrance and the rollerball is not available on Ulta anymore.

What beauty products are you loving?

And a selfish side note while we’re on the beauty topic, can anyone recommend a hair dryer? Mine recently died in a burst of flames and smoke (seriously) and I’m in desperate need of a new one. I’m willing to splurge a little.

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Hey Jen! Love your blog – all the way from Australia! I LOVE my ‘Parlux’ hairdryer – quite expensive but well worth it, they are really powerful and come in a range of cool colours ( < Australian spelling there haha). I'm sure you could find them over there too or online. Cheers, Amy.

Bio ionic whisper light pro. It is awesome! I have a lot of hair but it’s fine and it can be frizzy and gets tangled easily in the wind. Somehow it makes my hair really smooth and not frizzy. It is also faster than any other dryer I have used. I have friends with different hair types and lengths who love it also. One of them is a hair dresser who bought one for the salon and home.

FHI 1800 Pink Nano blowdryer is amazing! I think mine is about 6 years old (I am due for a new one) but it still works. It dries your hair so fast and leaves it sleek so you can sometimes get away without the flat iron! Worth the splurge for sure.

I loved the last time you did a post like this! I actually ordered the Moroccan Oil and South of France handsoap based on it! Loved them both. I didn’t realize it had been five months already since that post! I think I’m going to try the face polish from this list. Unfortunately I have a cheap hairdryer so I’m no help with a recommendation.

P.S. Have you heard of Birchbox? I recently got a subscription and absolutely love it! Each month they send a sample of different beauty products. This post reminded me of it. It’s so fun getting to try so many beauty products and it comes in a really cute presentation.

I agree with Erin — I have the Sedu Revolution and it is great; however, it does not come with a diffuser if you use one. I also got mine from Folica.com. Just as a side note, Sedu makes a $700 dryer — Can you imagine??? I’ve always wanted to try it though.

Did you ever end up finding a solution to the constant breakouts that you blogged about last year? I have been breaking out like crazy the last couple of months, and I actually was just thinking about your post on it and wondering how/if you stopped yours? I’ve never had perfect skin, but have also never had it bad like this either. It’s so embarrassing!

alexis – i did. i went back on birth control. not the ideal solution but it’s the only thing that has helped. it took months after i went back on it for it to clear up and it still hasn’t been the same. now i use the laura mercier exfoliator a few times a week, philosophy face wash and 10% benzol peroxide cream as needed. i want to start using some sort of retin-a cream.

Mine actually started right when I went off bc too! I went back on it after about 3 months of bad skin, and 3 months later its still not clear. I guess I just need to give it more time. I agree about it not being a good solution, but I’m glad we don’t want kids any time soon so that I can take advantage of its few benefits:)

alexis – it was SO frustrating. my skin was relatively before i went on birth control. when i went off of it after being on it for years my skin went CRAZY. breakouts like i’d never had before. i couldn’t afford constant dermatologist trips so i went back on it and it took months for my skin to clear so hang in there. i still have scars from some of the bad breakouts. so frustrating. i’m scared to go off of it again. 🙁

Out of curiosity – have you noticed a change in your training since going back on birth control? I’ve been on the pill (major life saver for my skin and PMS), but feel like I’m plateauing in my training. Thoughts? (not sure if you’ve done a post about this in the past).

I can also recommend a product called nicotinamide. It’s a prescription vitamin that reduces inflammation (it’s not an antibiotic). My derm put me on it about a year ago and that + birth control has made a world of difference.

i have not noticed a change in my training since going back on birth control. i was on it for SO long before and only went off for 6 months or so. i am going to ask my doctor abou tthat vitamin. thank you!

I have a CHI hair dryer and I swear it’s SO much better than my old drugstore versions. It dries hair in hair the time, and it doesn’t make it as frizzy. Plus….I got a cheetah print one. Can’t take the Jersey outta the girl 🙂

hey sarah – thanks so much for the recommendation. i have splurged on a nice flatiron and it’s night and day difference from the drugstore stuff. i’m hoping to experience the same thing with the dryer!

Hey Jen! I love your beauty posts! I’m obsessed with the Aveda smoother too! For blow dryers, I use this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000X1MCW0
I have thick frizzy hair and it seriously reduces frizz and cuts drying time almost in half – its a bit of an investment but I’ve had mine for 3 years now and it’s still as good as new!!

I need a new hair dryer too so please share with us what you buy/how you like it!!!

As for your neosporin fix, i was doing that as well for a while to reduce post wax bumps – then a friend told me about “Tend Skin” (you can buy on amazon). You just put it on immediately with a cotton ball or the like, and it’s amazing. I use it everyday just for prevention now, and also bring to the salon for them to apply after a wax! (tmi but it works!!!)

Been using Smooth Infusion for a couple of years now. Love it! I have super curly hair which I like to wear straight so I am now getting the Keratin Express at Modern Salon in Phillips Place. I love it!!! Lasts about 8 to 10 weeks. The less shampooing you do the longer it lasts. So easy to blow out and no frizz if you wear it curly. If I have to take a 2nd shower at night due to a late workout I just don’t use shampoo and it still comes out good! Runs $155 but it is totally worth it hear in the South.

I have a Conair Infiniti blow dryer, and it works REALLY well on my super curly hair! And it’s pretty cheap. 🙂 http://www.amazon.com/Conair-Infiniti-Pro-Hair-Dryer/dp/B004X8GPVS
I also saw a post on your blog a while back about how you were having trouble with your acne. Did you ever find a successful routine? Would love to know!

I adore perfume rollerballs – portable and super convenient. I have one filled with Philosophy’s Grace, which never seems to get old to me. I am also obsessed with Kerastase’s Elixir Ultime for smooth and soft hair.

I'm Jen and I'm a personal trainer, yoga teacher and the author of Ultimate Plank Fitness and The Complete Guide to Yoga Inversions. I live in Charlotte, NC and share daily updates about food, fitness, yoga and life with two golden retrievers! You can reach me at jen@peanutbutterrunner.com.